1 1790 29 PRENATAL YOGA AND CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION: A RESPONSE TO TRACY POSNER'S BIRTH STORY. IN THIS LETTER TO THE EDITOR, THE AUTHOR RESPONDS TO A BIRTH STORY PUBLISHED IN A PREVIOUS ISSUE OF THE JOURNAL OF PERINATAL EDUCATION AND DISCUSSES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PRACTICING PRENATAL YOGA AND CHILDBIRTH EDUCATION. 2010 2 2231 11 THE IMPACT OF YOGA ON FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY AMONG THIRD TRIMESTER PREGNANTS. BACKGROUND: THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF YOGA PRACTICE ON FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY. MATERIALS AND METHODS: THIS STUDY WAS PERFORMED IN A QUASI-EXPERIMENTAL MODEL WITH PRETEST AND POST-TEST CONTROL GROUPS. THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE STUDY WERE WOMEN WHO APPLIED TO A PREGNANCY EDUCATION CLASS AT A HOSPITAL. NINETY WOMEN PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY. THE DATA USED IN THE STUDY WERE COLLECTED USING THE INDIVIDUAL INFORMATION FORM, THE WIJMA DELIVERY EXPECTATION/EXPERIENCE SCALE (VERSION A), AND THE CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY SCALE. RESULTS: AFTER PARTICIPATING IN YOGA PRACTICE, THE PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP EXHIBITED DECREASED FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND INCREASED CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY (P < .05). ON THE OTHER HAND, THE PREGNANT WOMEN IN THE CONTROL GROUP DISPLAYED INCREASED FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND DECREASED CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY (P < .05). CONCLUSION: BASED ON THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY, YOGA PRACTICE REDUCES FEAR OF CHILDBIRTH AND SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASES CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY. 2021 3 1135 10 EFFICACY OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISCOMFORTS AND DELIVERY OUTCOMES IN CHINESE PRIMIPARAS. BACKGROUD AND PURPOSE: ALMOST EVERY WOMAN EXPERIENCES DISCOMFORTS DURING PREGNANCY. THIS STUDY AIMED TO EVALUATE THE EFFICACY OF YOGA ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DISCOMFORTS AND DELIVERY OUTCOMES IN CHINESE PRIMIPARAS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL WAS CONDUCTED. PARTICIPANTS IN THE CONTROL GROUP (N = 32) RECEIVED ROUTINE PRENATAL CARE, WHEREAS PARTICIPANTS IN THE INTERVENTION GROUP (N = 32) RECEIVED ROUTINE PRENATAL CARE AND YOGA EXERCISE THREE TIMES A WEEK FOR 12 WEEKS. OUTCOMES EVALUATED INCLUDED PHYSIOLOGICAL DISCOMFORTS, PRENATAL DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY AND DELIVERY OUTCOMES. INTENTION-TO-TREAT ANALYSIS WAS CONDUCTED. RESULTS: YOGA DECREASED THE SYMPTOMS OF PHYSIOLOGICAL DISCOMFORTS DURING PREGNANCY (F = 6.966, P = 0.010), PROMOTED CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY (F = 11.900, P = 0.001), INCREASED THE RATE OF VAGINAL DELIVERY (CHI(2) = 4.267, P = 0.039), AND SHORTENED THE LENGTH OF THE FIRST (T = -2.612, P = 0.012), SECOND (Z = -3.313, P = 0.001) AND THIRD STAGES OF LABOR (Z = -3.137, P = 0.002). CONCLUSION: YOGA OFFERS BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON PHYSIOLOGICAL DISCOMFORTS, CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY AND DELIVERY OUTCOMES IN CHINESE PRIMIPARAS. 2021 4 956 11 EFFECTS OF A PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME ON THE DISCOMFORTS OF PREGNANCY AND MATERNAL CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY IN TAIWAN. OBJECTIVE: TO EVALUATE A YOGA PROGRAMME PROVIDED TO PRIMIGRAVIDAS IN THE THIRD TRIMESTER OF PREGNANCY WITH THE AIM OF DECREASING THE DISCOMFORTS ASSOCIATED WITH PREGNANCY AND INCREASING CHILDBIRTH SELF-EFFICACY. DESIGN: NON-RANDOMISED CONTROLLED EXPERIMENTAL STUDY. SETTING: A HOSPITAL IN NORTHERN TAIWAN. PARTICIPANTS: THE TARGET POPULATION WAS PRIMIGRAVIDAS AT 26-28 WEEKS OF GESTATION (NO HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES) WHO HAD NOT ENGAGED IN REGULAR EXERCISE OR YOGA FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR. THE STUDY INCLUDED 88 INDIVIDUALS; 43 IN THE CONTROL GROUP AND 45 IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GROUP WHO TOOK PART IN THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME. INTERVENTION: THE DURATION OF THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME WAS 12-14 WEEKS, WITH AT LEAST THREE SESSIONS PER WEEK. EACH WORKOUT LASTED FOR 30 MINUTES. MEASUREMENTS AND FINDINGS: WOMEN WHO TOOK PART IN THE PRENATAL YOGA PROGRAMME REPORTED SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER PREGNANCY DISCOMFORTS THAN THE CONTROL GROUP (38.28 VS 43.26, Z=-2.58, P=0.01) AT 38-40 WEEKS OF GESTATION. THE SUBJECTS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE YOGA PROGRAMME EXHIBITED HIGHER OUTCOME AND SELF-EFFICACY EXPECTANCIES DURING THE ACTIVE STAGE OF LABOUR (104.13 VS 83.53, T=3.24, P=0.002; 99.26 VS 77.70, T=3.99, P OR = 2500 GRAMS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER (P < 0.01) IN THE YOGA GROUP. PRETERM LABOR WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER (P < 0.0006) IN THE YOGA GROUP. COMPLICATIONS SUCH AS ISOLATED INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RETARDATION (IUGR) (P < 0.003) AND PREGNANCY-INDUCED HYPERTENSION (PIH) WITH ASSOCIATED IUGR (P < 0.025) WERE ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER IN THE YOGA GROUP. THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT ADVERSE EFFECTS NOTED IN THE YOGA GROUP. CONCLUSIONS: AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO YOGA DURING PREGNANCY IS SAFE. IT IMPROVES BIRTH WEIGHT, DECREASES PRETERM LABOR, AND DECREASES IUGR EITHER IN ISOLATION OR ASSOCIATED WITH PIH, WITH NO INCREASED COMPLICATIONS. 2005 20 2169 9 THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PREVENTION OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. OBJECTIVE: WHILE PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THE POTENTIAL EFFECTS OF YOGA IN NORMAL PREGNANCIES, THIS RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF YOGA IN PREVENTION OF PREGNANCY COMPLICATIONS IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANCIES FOR THE FIRST TIME. METHODS: 68 HIGH-RISK PREGNANT WOMEN WERE RECRUITED FROM TWO MATERNITY HOSPITALS IN BENGALURU, INDIA AND WERE RANDOMIZED INTO YOGA AND CONTROL GROUPS. THE YOGA GROUP (N=30) RECEIVED STANDARD CARE PLUS ONE-HOUR YOGA SESSIONS, THREE TIMES A WEEK, FROM THE 12TH TO THE 28TH WEEK OF GESTATION. THE CONTROL GROUP (N=38) RECEIVED STANDARD CARE PLUS CONVENTIONAL ANTENATAL EXERCISES (WALKING) DURING THE SAME PERIOD. RESULTS: SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER PREGNANCY INDUCED HYPERTENSION (PIH), PREECLAMPSIA, GESTATIONAL DIABETES (GDM) AND INTRAUTERINE GROWTH RESTRICTION (IUGR) CASES WERE OBSERVED IN THE YOGA GROUP (P=0.018, 0.042, 0.049, 0.05 RESPECTIVELY). SIGNIFICANTLY FEWER SMALL FOR GESTATIONAL AGE (SGA) BABIES AND NEWBORNS WITH LOW APGAR SCORES (P=0.006) WERE BORN IN THE YOGA GROUP (P=0.033). CONCLUSION: THIS FIRST RANDOMIZED STUDY OF YOGA IN HIGH-RISK PREGNANCY HAS SHOWN THAT YOGA CAN POTENTIALLY BE AN EFFECTIVE THERAPY IN REDUCING HYPERTENSIVE RELATED COMPLICATIONS OF PREGNANCY AND IMPROVING FETAL OUTCOMES. ADDITIONAL DATA IS NEEDED TO CONFIRM THESE RESULTS AND BETTER EXPLAIN THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF YOGA IN THIS IMPORTANT AREA. 2012